“I retired a year later, basically. I only started one more game for Ireland. At the time, I don’t think I was that aware I was that close to the end.”
Andrew Trimble was looking back on his starring role in Ireland’s 40-29 victory over New Zealand in 2016, on the latest episode of his podcast, Potholes & Penguins. Joni Mitchell coined it best – you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.
Trimble would finish out his career, in 2017-18, with Ulster but only pulled an Irish jersey on two more times after that Soldier Field triumph in November 2016. “That was incredible, to be part of that,” Trimble told me, before trying to capture the essence of that winning feeling.
“It was just trying your best,” he began. “Well, it’s never really possible but just trying to savour every single moment. Even walking around the pitch before we got to the dressing room. Just enjoy every second of that; drink it in and be a part of it. Be in the moment. And then, it’s gone. It’s such a shame that you can’t be in that moment forever.”
Trimble was not the only player that featured in that historic win to be on the way out. Within a year of Soldier Field, Jamie Heaslip, Jared Payne, Simon Zebo and Donnacha Ryan would have lined out for Ireland for the final time.
You never know what is around the corner, particularly in rugby, where taking it around the corner is your pride, and penance.
Look at the back-row selections for Saturday’s game in Chicago that has been labelled ‘The Rematch’ and, by one eager America pundit, ‘The Super Bowl of rugby’.
It is a minor miracle to have Doris back, and named on the bench, but he has yet to play a minute this season, even if Farrell insists he is in “great nick”.
Scott Robertson is able to call on Simon Parker, Ardie Savea and Peter Lakai, but Wallace Sititi must wait in reserve. Ireland are without three heavyweights, from the starting gun, but saw one absence coming a mile off.
In March of 2024, my article on these pages – Why Ireland have the best back-row in world rugby – sparked a huge response, and a flood of feedback that has only recently settled to a trickle. Back then, before Ireland went and split a Test series with South Africa, Andy Farrell could call upon Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris.
O’Mahony has retired to his gardening, in Cork, while Doris had shoulder surgery back in May, ruling him out of a British & Irish Lions squad he was tipped to captain. It is a minor miracle to have Doris back, and named on the bench, but he has yet to play a minute this season, even if Farrell insists he is in “great nick”.
Then you have Tadhg Beirne. There is a strong chance Beirne could finish 2025 in his third World Rugby Dream Team of the Year selection, and at blindside despite him not playing a minute there for Ireland. Farrell prepped for rugby life after O’Mahony last November, and Beirne started three of the four Autumn Nations games with No.6 on his back. It went merely okay and the Munster captain, under interim head coach Simon Easterby, reverted to second row for the 2025 Six Nations.
Beirne had 16 straight starts at tighthead lock, including for the Lions against Argentina, in Dublin. Farrell backed him at blindside for the Test series against Australia, though. Beirne rewarded that show of faith by going the full 80 in all three Tests, pilfering turnovers and scoring a crucial try in the series-clincher at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He was named Player of the Series and headed for home, dripping in gold. He is heavy favourite to make his third world’s best XV, with Springbok legend (and World Rugby awards panellist) Victor Matfield saying the 33-year-old is “definitely right up there” with Finn Russell as front-runners for best player.
All of that stacked up as a great case for Beirne to start at blindside against New Zealand but Joe McCarthy and Cormac Izuchukwu were ruled out through injury. Needs must. Beirne, in the second row, should prove equally gnarly.
The man getting his biggest Test chance yet is the same man a large slice of Irish fans still cling to high expectations for. In February 2020, when ‘lockdowns’ and ‘social distancing’ existed outside the common vernacular, Ryan Baird blazed an astonishing hat-trick in the space of just 60 minutes, against Glasgow Warriors. He had made his senior Leinster debut at 19 and impressed, at lock and blindside, for Ireland U20s. When rugby whirred back into action, later that year, he helped Leinster to a league title and made his European bow. He made his Ireland debut in the 2021 Six Nations, aged 21, and was in plenty of Lions ‘bolter’ conversations, only for Warren Gatland to surprise many by selecting Sam Simmonds and Jack Conan.
That was over four years ago and Baird has, as yet, failed to lock down a regular starting role for Ireland. He has added lineout calling to his repertoire and still delivers jaw-dropping moments – particularly in attack – but Farrell and the Leinster top dogs would love to see that bite and consistency. This will be his third start in a row at blindside for Ireland, but the All Blacks are a neck-crane up the ladder from Georgia and Portugal.
Van der Flier was never going to toss toys from the pram after the gut-punch of missing out on Test selection for the Lions. Slagging Jac Morgan about Wales’ Test woes, on the team bus, was as edgy as the Leinster flanker gets.
In 2016, Jordi Murphy found himself in a similar position to Baird. Murphy was another Leinster lad, eight years older, that made his Ireland debut at 22 and was an equally hot prospect. He got his chance to shine in the back row, in the summer of 2016, when O’Mahony and Sean O’Brien were sidelined. He fronted up in two epic clashes with South Africa. O’Mahony and O’Brien were back playing for their provinces when Joe Schmidt was picking his squad to face New Zealand in Chicago. He stuck with Murphy, at openside. The Kiwi’s intuition paid off as Murphy had a huge 25 minutes, scoring a try and taking the fight to the world champions, only to badly injure his knee.
Josh van der Flier replaced Murphy that day, at Soldier Field, and showed many of the qualities – defensive tempo-setter and voracious work-rate – that would be the hallmarks of a stellar career. Van der Flier has been Ireland’s first-choice openside for the past four seasons and took his game to lofty heights from 2021 to 2023, picking up awards in Ireland, Europe and World Rugby’s Men’s 15s Player of the Year in 2022.
Van der Flier was never going to toss toys from the pram after the gut-punch of missing out on Test selection for the Lions. Slagging Jac Morgan about Wales’ Test woes, on the team bus, was as edgy as the Leinster flanker gets. Farrell opted for the spark and snarl of Tom Curry, against Australia, and got the very best from the Englishman. Second and third blows came when Morgan got the back-up flanker spot for Melbourne and Sydney. From best in the world to the third best openside in the Lions squad. That will have stung more than Van der Flier will ever let on. Saturday is a prime opportunity to lay down an early marker for the 2027 World Cup, back in Oz.
I hope Conan will forgive the late mention but he knows all about getting in under the wire. A six-Test Lion and a guy that has earned the respect of his peers by stepping up against the top sides and getting about his business with little fuss.
Fans that are early risers with sports subscriptions will tell you Lakai poses just as much threat as Sititi and even more oomph when he gathers steam.
Van der Flier’s successor as World Rugby Player of the Year was Ardie Savea, who came off the bench for New Zealand in that 11-point loss in the Windy City, nine years ago. He was still a bit loose, back then, and was caught out by Payne then Heaslip, late in the game, in the build-up to Robbie Henshaw’s try. He has improved, year on year, and is a pleasure to watch.
There is a touch of Dalton Papali’i and Liam Squire about Simon Parker – high ceiling possibilities but still relatively new to the international game, guilty of letting big matches pass him by and a player Ireland will look to get after in Chicago. Irish supporters – especially those that catch only social media snatches of Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship – will be pleased to see Sititi riding the pine. Fans that are early risers with sports subscriptions will tell you Lakai poses just as much threat and even more oomph when he gathers steam.
In March 2024, Jamie Roberts and I were not the only ones crowning Ireland’s back row the best in the business. Now, I am not so sure. South Africa probably shade it but Ireland and New Zealand may have something to say about that over the coming weeks, starting in Chicago.
As for the Super Bowl of rugby, no-one tell the Springboks fans…
That was probably Baird’s best game to date. It will be interesting to see how BAIRD/VDF/DORIS go against the SB’s.
IRE also seeing how much of a loss Joe McCarthy is to them as he would have been perfect in a game like yesterday and they really missed him.
Yeah, Joe is a huge loss. Lovely player in his prime, but Iain Henderson has seen much better days.
Great article! Would love to see Baird get going.
Incredible athlete, just moves differently.
He ended up going well. Shame a good few others didn’t step up!